The Book of Mormon Project

I am trying something new. I started a new website on a free, no ads hosting company. Nothing fancy. Just a basic HTML site. All downloads and files are on same site, so no off site downloading and viewing. The files are the same as on this site and in English only, at this time. There is also a Book of Mormon pictures page. I will keep this blogsite running for a while. If you have any problems with this new site please leave me a comment.

Thank you.

Free Book of Mormon

Hi, everyone!

I know it’s been a while since I have posted anything on my blog. I haven’t really felt like writing much lately. I have been mostly commenting and visiting other blogs and I have had only 3 days off in 2 months. I found this video on Rusty’s blog, www.ongofu.wordpress.com. I haven’t listen to Glenn Beck too much but I know he is a very popular talk show host. I have heard that he was a Mormon but after listening to his story I was reminded of my own conversion story and how much this Church has changed my life.

I have been a member for about 12 years now. Before I married and settled down here in Oklahoma I had a very bad case of wanderlust. And even a little bit after when we were looking for a great place to settle down. I grew up a military brat so I moved around quite a bit. My family is from Massachusetts and the New England area and I basically grew up in New England. The only time I heard about the LDS Church is from history books and the occassional tv spot on cults in America. (Yes, I did see the Godmakers at one point. I didn’t understand it and didn’t know why everyone loved it.) My dad’s side was Roman Catholic and my mom’s side is Protestant. My family only went to church on the holidays and were not a Bible reading, pray always family. Nevertheless, my parents wanted me to go to experience going to church and religion in general. So, I went to catechism classes when I was 8 so that I can receive my first communion in the Catholic Church. It was a great experience from what I remember. Then at one point my dad decided to sell Amway products and this included associating with born-again Christians. So, my family accepted Christ in our lives and was baptized. We were in upstate New York at this time. My dad tried to stay in the New England area when he was in the Air Force to be closer to our family. We went to church for a while but it didn’t last long.We moved when I was 13 to California and attended a church there. My teenage years are a blur to me. Let’s just say they weren’t my best years.  All through my younger years I read the Bible very often and one of my favorite movies was the creation story from the 60’s. I have had a life long interest in religion and spirituality. I wanted to why people believed in what they believed in. This led me to search for all the common elements in all faiths around the world. I told a friend of mine that I wanted the church that Christ started not what eveyone thinks what His church is. Thousands of different churches around the world and they all had the same basic elements of worshiping God, spirituality, doctrine. And yet no one could agree on any one point. I didn’t understand and still don’t why there are heated debates over certain points of doctrine. Who is God and what is He like? Is there one God or 3?  Why are Christians of different faiths fighting each other for power and control? I could see no unity anywhere between the different faiths. I attended a few when I was in my twenties but they could not satisfy my answers. In 1996, I went to work at Zion National Park. Before I went I was working at Sea World in San Diego and I decided to go back to the national parks for work. I got tired of city living and wanted to go back to the mountains. I used to work at Yosemite NP and could have gone back there but I wanted to try another park. Before I called Zion and Yosemite I asked God where do you want me to go and I told Him that who ever gave me the best interview that is where I would go. So, I went to Zion NP in Utah. Before I went I decided to investigate the Mormons and planned to stay in St George for 2 days before starting work. I love history and so on my first day I went to Brigham Young’s home and a couple of other places. I still wasn’t sure about the church and so I was careful not to be taken in by any conversation I had with the workers there. I filled out a missionary card not expecting anything. The next day in the late afternoon I decided to visit the St George Temple thinking I could get a good feel for these people. What I got was a tour of the faith of the church and a little bit of temple history. It was not was I was looking for nor ready for yet. I wanted to do this on my own time. But at the end of tour I was talking to the Elder and told him that I had a theory that the Phoenicians came here and settled America.  At this point I new nothing about the Book of Mormon nor was exposed to anything in the LDS Church other than this tour. The Elder said come with me and he took me to a small room a started a video. I was shocked and amazed at what I saw. It was a video of Lehi and his family coming to the New World and started a new civilization, almost exactly my theory that I held on to for many years. After the video, I asked the Elder if I could have a Book of Mormon and at first he was reluctant because most people would just shelve it. He gave me one anyway and that night I started reading and the rest is history. That night changed my life. Since I was familiar with New York and New England history I knew that Joseph Smith could not just create a new religion or write a fictional story like some claim that the Book of Mormon is. I also filled out another missionary card while I was there not expecting anything. As I read the Book of Mormon throughout the next few months while I was working at Zion I was making connections with what ancient history I knew. Then in February when I was watching tv someone told me that I had some visitors in the hotel lobby. I couldn’t think who they were so I went. It was 3 elder’s from the LDS Church. They told me they got a missionary card and thought they would come and visit. We stood there in the lobby for over an hour as I poured out what I have learned from reading the Book of Mormon. We scheduled the missionary lessons over the next couple of months. Because the missionaries lived so far away we had to make special arrangments for a good time and place to teach me these lessons. At one point, I took them out to a picnic table early in the morning quite a ways from the main hotel area. That was the lesson about the fruits of the Spirit and they told me after that it was as if I was prepared all my life for this lesson and for joining this Church. I never read anything from the Church and yet when they asked me a question I answered it and when I looked it up in the lesson book it was almost the same words that I said. I was baptized on April 21, 1996 by these missionary elders. The next few years were kind of rough for a new member until I met my wife and we eventually settled down here in Oklahoma. My life has been great since I married and I would not know what my life would be without her and the Church in my life. I have a great job and a home that I recently bought in a small town. We don’t have kids but have 2 puppies, an older Tibetan Spanial and a 3-legged cat named Willy. I am virtually debt free - I owe no one except the car, home, and student loans. I am able to pay for everything in cash and I am able to support wife. For a long time I never thought that I would get this far and I owe it to my Father in Heaven and Jesus Christ. I know that I don’t deserve their love and patience, I can be very rebellious and stubborn at times, but they know my heart and my life and I know they have a special mission for my life to do their work. Thanks everyone for visiting my website and downloading the Book of Mormon and other materials on this site. It is my hope that these Books of Mormon will be sent out throughout the world, even in the most remote places and that everyone who reads it will experience the same joy and happiness that I did when I first read this special book. This is my testimony. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

I have noticed lately that there haven’t been too many hits on this page, so I am doing this post to introduce some of the blogs and other links that I have added to this page.

You will find several inspirational blogs as well as a chatroom to visit other members. There are two very great toolbars for Firefox users found at the bottom of the page. Also official LDS Church sites for family history, meetinghouse locater, history of the church, and many more resources for members and non-members. Plus links to other resources for church news and information.

There are also great places to visit on the sidebar to the right, as well. You can start a scripture study schedule, read about members’ testimonies, work on a crossword puzzle or create one, and read the latest news on this blog. Visit the downloads page to download a free Book of Mormon in three formats: PDF, HTMl, or an executable for windows only. If you have international friends or would like to read the Book of Mormon in your favorite language visit the International download page. You can view and print right in your browser Book of Mormon pictures on the Book of Mormon in Pictures page. If you know someone who has questions about the Church or wants to learn more about Jesus Christ send them to mormon.org or the official Jesus Christ site at LDS.org.

Spread the word about this site and e-mail as many Books of Mormon as you can. This is a great missionary tool to reach people who otherwise can’t be reached or don’t feel comfortable calling the Church for a Book of Mormon. And tell all your international friends, as well, that there are versions in their language available here. If you know of any international versions available that you know of that is not included on this site please let me know.

If you have any questions, suggestions or want to be added to this page please leave me a comment. Thanks.

Note to visitors of this site:

I just noticed that there is a related posts section added to the posting. I could turn this off but I want this blog to appear on other blogs as well. Unfortunately, I can’t control what type of postings appears in that section. There are a lot of anti-mormon postings on WordPress and they have every right to express their opinions of this Church. Just remember to hold on to what you believe and decide what to believe by the power of the Holy Spirit. Only He can witness to you the truthfulness of all things. The main purpose of this blog is to provide free Books of Mormon to anyone who is interested in reading it not to discuss or have a doctrinal debate over differences in beliefs. I will not tolerate any kind of attacks or negative comments on this blog. Period. If you have questions or want to discuss something on a posting keep it civil and decent.  I respect everyone’s opinion and faith but I will not accept anyone condemning my faith or anyone else’s based on evidence or personal interpretation of a certain scripture passage. I am familiar with all the arguements as to why some believe this Church is wrong and false so I won’t be led into any kind of trap. If I start seeing any kind of abuse I will start moderating comments and block commentators.  Thank you.

For those who are not aware of it, the General Conference is now online. You can read, watch, or listen in various languages.

General Conference

It is that time of year again for LDS members. This weekend, April 5 and 6, is the spring weekend for the biannual General Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The members will be sustaining the First Presidency which will be Presidents Thomas S. Monson, Henry B. Eyering, and Dieter F. Uchtdorf.

From the main Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints website:

The 178th Annual General Conference of the Church will convene in the Conference Center in Salt Lake City on Saturday and Sunday, April 5-6, 2008. The Saturday general sessions will be held at 10:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m.; Sunday sessions will be held at 9:30 a.m. (which includes Music and the Spoken Word) and 2:00 p.m. The general priesthood meeting will be held in the Conference Center on Saturday, April 5, at 6:00 p.m.

Broadcast Schedule in PDF

Video and audio streaming in various languages

If you are not a member of the LDS Church this will be a great way to learn more about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

LDS Church members: Don’t forget to bring a friend or family member to a Conference broadcast and introduce them to the Church.

Have a great weekend!

I just realize that I should have done an Easter posting last Sunday. I have to work on Sunday nights and I have been too caught up in another matter I won’t talk about. My wife and I don’t have kids so the holiday is not as fun as it would be if we did. We did have a Sunday dinner before I went to work, which was nice. She spoils me too much. Easter is one of my favorite holidays of the year. It marks when spring is finally here or will be if the weather makes up it’s mind on whether to be winter or summer. When I was growing up, the only times my family went to Church was on Christmas and Easter and maybe a couple of times in between. My family was more of a traditional one when it came to the holidays. We would have ham dinner, read about Christ’s story in the Bible, and watch the epic religious movie on the tv that was showing that night. My favorite was The Greatest Story Ever Told from 1965. This was aired almost every year at Easter. Very well done and detailed. Of course, you can argue over the historical details but over-all it was a great film. Another favorite that was shown when I was growing up was The Bible: In the Beginning from 1966. It was from watching these movies and reading the Bible on my own is what shaped how I believe in God. Of course Easter is more that eating dinner and watching movies. It is to celebrate the greatest sacrifice anyone could make for another. Easter is celebrated differently by all Christian faiths but the message is the same. The Son of God died to save us from our sins and was resurrected on the third day after He was crucified. This represented a new beginning. To shed our old lives and habits and to start fresh. Jesus Christ being the Son of God had the power to take Himself off the cross and prevent this from happening. Instead He chose to follow the commandment of His Father and to finish His mission on earth. This is the greatest example of following the commandments of God without question and was the most unselfish thing a man could do. He committed the ultimate sacrifice so that we may all return to Heaven to be with our Father and Creator. He also showed that He was human as well and asked His Father “why hast thou forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46). This showed that He had human weaknesses as well, the same as all of us do in moments of terrible trials and struggles.

I want to thank my God and Father in Heaven for sending His Son to earth to show us how to be like Him and how to have better relationships with our fellow men and women.

Happy Easter!!

First of all, I want to thank everyone for visiting this site and making this site a success. I wasn’t sure at first if anyone would be interested in downloading Books of Mormon for their computer or how well this site will be received.  Again, thank you for visiting.

I have been reading some discussions on what a true Christian is and I thought I would share what I believe. A while back, while Mitt Romney was running for a nomination for presidency, there was a lot of discussions on whether LDS members are true Christians or not. Everyone is entitled to their opinion and have the right to believe what they want. But no one has the right to condemn another for what they believe in, no matter what faith you belong to. What does it mean to be a Christian? A basic definition is one who follows a Christ-like life. Christ has taught to love one another as I have loved you. This is the most difficult commandant man can follow. We are prone to being selfish, bitter, have angry thoughts, fighting, and all the other human weaknesses we have. Christ has provided a way to overcome these weakness. Jesus Christ has taught us how to forgive one another and how to be charitable in our lives. The more we serve each other righteously the more Christ-like we become. Jesus Christ never taught us to sit in judgement of another’s faith or way of life but to accept everyone as their own brother or sister. So, if you are earnestly striving to live the laws of God righteously irregardless of your faith you are living a Christ-like life. There are also many people who live Christ-like lives who do not belong to any faith. They are the ones who help the stranger whose is stranded on the side of the road because the car died. They are the ones who visit a sick friend or stranger or donate their time in natural disasters in whatever way they can.  Whenever you are in service  to another person you are being a Christian. This is taught in all the scriptures of all the faiths in the world. To be righteously serving one another and to live the laws of God, Krishna, Buddha, etc. depending on what you name God. God or whatever you call Him in your faith will judge you on your faith, your service to your fellow man and how well you live your lives.  This is an universal concept taught by Christ and the reason why we are called Christians to those that have accepted Christ as part of their beliefs.

I was baptized and christened a Catholic when I was baby then later I became a born-again Christian when I was ten then later on I joined the LDS Church in my late twenties.   So, I am familiar with the ways of Christians. In my twenties, I was trying to figure out what was all the common elements found in every faith and I wanted to join a Church that Christ established on earth and taught all the common elements that I found in all the faiths of the world. The common elements that I found are faith in a supreme God and creator, love and charity for all mankind, commandments on how to righteously conduct our lives based on the ten commandments and a Saviour of all mankind from our sins. The Church I was looking for as described in the Bible has prophets, revelators, teachers, elders, deacons and a well organized system. I believe that God needs and wants a well organized Church to fulfill His purposes. He is perfect so He needs a perfect system. What I have learned before I joined this Church I learned on my own and most what I have learned was confirmed after I joined this Church. I also learned a little bit of ancient history and archaeology and had my own theories as well. I never read the Book of Mormon before I joined so my theory that Phoenicians possibly came over and settled here was confirmed when I saw a video of Lehi’s family arriving in the New World. I investigated very heavily the claims of the Church and everything I learned I had no reason not to believe in. What is wrong with believing in the Word of Wisdom? It is a standard of a healthy living. What can’t God have a body like we do? It says in the Bible we are created in His image. An image is a copy or a similitude of an object or person. He is our Father in Heaven. Why wouldn’t He give us the same opportunities to be like Him in Heaven? All good fathers want their children to be like him. I saw no reason not to believe that He would re-establish His Church on the earth in the early 1800’s knowing what I know about New England history and people’s attitudes towards new ideas and  faiths. People still had a Puritan way of thinking at that time. Their way was the only way to live a Christ-like life. So, I saw no reason why all  this and more can’t be true. I have had many experiences before and after I joined that proves to me that He is with me always and has given me plenty of opportunities for growth. But unfortunately, like a spoiled child, I very often take Him for granted and my life will start sliding down hill and then I will wake up and start doing that I should be doing to stay close to God. I don’t understand everything God teaches in the scriptures or why He allows certain things to happen but I still strive to live a Christ-like life and to work on following His commandments.  If I decide to leave the LDS Church at some point in the future it will be based on my own decision and not because someone told me it is false.

I hope you can now understand where I stand in the debate over whether LDS members are Christian or not. I have a strong belief in Christ and in God and strive to live the commandments. I believe that God is real and continues to give revelations through His prophets. I see no reason why He can’t or won’t restore His Church  on this earth. No matter what faith you belong to He is still God and He is our Father in Heaven. He has the right to do what He wants with His people on this earth to fulfill His purposes.  I believe that the Book of Mormon is a true record of an ancient record of the people of the New World and it contains the Gospel of Christ and important lessons we need to learn in our lives. I believe we have and need a prophet of God to teach us the things that God wants us to learn. This is what I chose to believe in and no amount of scriptures or discussions will change this. The Holy Spirit will guide me and direct me to know what I should learn and accept what is right or wrong in my life. I mean no offense to anyone who reads this post and if I do please forgive me. I am merely expressing my testimony and thoughts on what it means to be a Christian.

I found this site on New York Mormon’s website. It is a Russian LDS resource site. If you know of anyone that has a Russian Book of Mormon available either online or to download please let me know. Thanks.

I just added the Doctrine and Covenants to the site. There are 8 international versions plus an English version. Please visit the International page or the English Downloads page for your version.

I found this site while surfing the Internet tonight. The owner has been translating the Book of Mormon into Hebrew. I cannot guarantee its accuracy and his site says he needs help proofreading the translation. His site contains many resources on Judaism and Mormonism.

Update: This is Tom Irvine’s ongoing effort to translate the Book of Mormon into Hebrew. This is only a partial translation of the Book of Mormon into Hebrew. This is NOT endorsed by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints nor is it the official translation of the Church. If you would like to proofread or help in the translation please contact him. For more information please visit his site.